Software-defined networking: the service provider perspective

An architecture based on software-defined networking (SDN) techniques gives operators greater freedom to balance operational and business parameters, such as network resilience, service performance and QoE against opex and capex. With its beginnings in data-center technology, software-defined networking (SDN) technology has developed to the point where it can offer significant opportunities to service providers.

The traditional way of describing network architecture and how a network behaves is through the fixed designs and behaviors of its various elements. The concept of software-defined networking (SDN) describes networks and how they behave in a more flexible way – through software tools that describe network elements in terms of programmable network states.

To maximize the potential benefits and deliver superior user experience, software-defined networking (SDN) needs to be implemented outside the sphere of the data center across the entire network. This can be achieved through enabling network programmability based on open APIs. Service Provider SDN will help operators to scale networks and take advantage of new revenue-generating possibilities.